First Call 5K, Adapt and Overcome

"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome." -Armed Forces Mantra

The weather was not promising when I woke up on March 31st. I had a 5K race scheduled at Sunset Park in Waukesha.  The First Call race was the last one in the Chilly Willy race series.

It was 33 F and pouring rain. I would prefer snow. Snow is fun to run in and does not soak into your clothes.  Just above freezing, windy and rainy is just miserable. Lucky for me I was only signed up for the 5K. There was also a 10K and half marathon as part of the same event.

There were points on the line and the registration was paid for. I did not want to waste the money.  I am counting every penny since I am currently not working.

The park was a 30 minute drive from home. A long time to consider running in the pouring rain.

I got to the race venue early so that I could get a parking spot in the park. I did not want to have to wait for the shuttle in the rain or stand around waiting for the start. There was no shelter at the start.

When I arrived it was still pouring, windy and cold. I got my race number and stayed in my nice warm car.

The rain was still pouring when the half marathon started.  A half hour later it has slowed to a light rain for the start of the 5K/10 K. I would be wearing a rain coat with a hood to keep out the rain.  By the time the race was over the rain had stopped. 

My plan for the race was just to run it easy since at that time I had planned to go to the Duathlon National Championship.  It was a flat course and I knew I would do no better than 2nd in my age group. I just wanted the points so that I held my 2nd place spot in the series.

I started out with just an easy job. As the race went on, I did up the pace a bit.  It was cold, wet and not a whole lot of fun. I finished in 32:12. It was good enough for 2nd place in my age group and I finished 2nd in my age group for the series. It certainly was a day to adapt and overcome.

It has been a fun series and kept me working hard over the winter.  Triathlon season will be starting shortly and soon I will be starting training for the NY marathon.  Races in bad weather are not fun, but they are great learning experiences. You never know what kind of conditions will challenge you on race day.  Running in this kind of weather is a great confidence booster. Doing it once means that I can do it whenever needed. I just have to adapt and overcome.

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Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the Boston Marathon.  In 2012 she finished 2nd at Boston in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs exploded.

She has appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division Champion.

In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015 and at the World championship in Cozumel in 2016.  

 In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.  She has won state championships in cycling and triathlon as a senior Olympian. In 2017 she placed 2^nd in her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on Team USA for the World Championship.

She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.

She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete.

http://www.henschelhausbooks.com/catalog/memoir-biography/215-running-for-my-life-winning-for-cmt-9781595982827.html

You may visit her author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Wodke/e/B00IJ02HX6

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 213 members in 39 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, Scotland, France, Poland, Iran, Norway and Sweden. If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Additional Link

Follow CMT affected Paratriathlete Timmy Dixon
http://cmtamputee.wordpress.com/

Follow CMT Author Chris Steinke
https://cmtandmesite.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/what-is-charcot-marie-tooth-disease/

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